Author: Wilson Hill

Maximizing Virtual College Tours: Three Tips for High Schoolers

How to make the most of virtual college tours30 Apr 2020

In light of COVID-19, families all over the country are forced to explore and invent creative ways to continue conducting daily life. The same applies to high school students who were in the middle of their college-exploration process when colleges suddenly closed their doors. While these circumstances have brought some uncertainty about how best to move forward, they also offer some favorable opportunities including online testing, extra time to spend developing college-relevant habits, and now: virtual college

By Wilson Hill | | In Word on the Hill | Read more

High Schoolers: Five Ways to Make the Most of your Spare Time

This is a great time to learn new hobbies23 Apr 2020

For thousands of high schoolers around the world, these days of extended time at home are presenting various challenges: trying to maintain a normal schedule, not having usual extracurriculars, and getting ready to take major tests online. It’s not easy! But, as we’ve written before, this challenging time could also be one marked by creativity. Here are five ways that high school students can leverage their extra time while preparing themselves for college.  

By Wilson Hill | | In Word on the Hill | Read more

Not on My Watch

Doubt is often the domain of mothers. Mothers who school their children at home seem particularly plagued because they make decision in two realms: in the home and in the school. Even the graduation of a child from homeschooling and into the next stage of life does not release mothers from the nagging thought that perhaps she should have done something (or even everything) differently. Second-guessing curriculum or providers or even the decision to homeschool

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Wait and Go on the 30

8 Jul 2016

Have you ever wanted to pull your car to the side of the road, get out, sit on the curb and have a good cry? You’ve been juggling end-of-school schedules, kids, the expectations of others, such that it seems like your world is spinning out of control.  And now that the school year is over, summer activities threaten to be just as overwhelming.  Is there a solution? Perhaps a principle from a different context will

By Nancy Donaldson | | In Word on the Hill | Read more

Chickens in Church

9 Jun 2016

The following is an open letter from Scott Baker, WHA Rhetoric Instructor, to his students in the Rhetoric 2/Senior Thesis class this year. Dear Seniors: Congratulations on a great year completing the Senior Thesis process!  Now that you have survived the Defense and have completed your Final Draft, it’s time to celebrate.  Everyone in the WHA community is suitably proud of your achievement, especially since writing and defending a thesis is such a rare accomplishment

By Wilson Hill | | In Academics, Word on the Hill | Read more

Your State – A Student & Parent Review

From a Parent: Kim Willems My son Jackson and I enjoyed the "Your State" class so much! We spent time visiting as many places as we could. The class was organized in such a way that we were able to explore every aspect of Montana history. My own love for the state and interest in its history was reignited as we studied and traveled around Montana. We turned every weekend basketball trip into an opportunity

By Wilson Hill | | In Uncategorized, Word on the Hill | Read more

Is History Boring?

"You teach history? How do you make that interesting?" Every history or social science teacher hears that question at least once, and likely many times. But even a quick look at a typical "social studies" textbook, leaving aside the endless monotony of charts, diagrams, textboxes and the like, is enough to make one wonder the very apt question: How do you make that interesting? Perhaps the most direct answer to the question is that "making

By Wilson Hill | | In Word on the Hill | Read more

Latin for Life

Gwynne’s Latin is a fairly new Latin textbook, written by British grammarian N. M. Gwynne. A little book with a cheerful yellow cover, it is small enough to fit inside my purse, which is a good thing since it is a real page-turner and I don’t like to leave home without it. I hope you do not think I am strange for reading a Latin textbook for fun – I am, after all, a Latin

By Wilson Hill | | In Word on the Hill | Read more

Alumna Spotlight

Abby Holland was the first valedictorian of Wilson Hill Academy and is currently pursuing a Classics major and Spanish minor at the University of Alabama. Here I was at a state university of 37,000 people in a junior level Latin class as a freshman. Needless to say, I was a little overwhelmed and definitely unsure of my ability to thrive in a Latin class composed primarily of juniors and seniors. But, after a couple classes, I

By Wilson Hill | | In Word on the Hill | Read more

A Whole Class on the War for Independence?

Why would we spend an entire year on the War for Independence (or what many call the "American Revolution")? Wouldn't that simply be overkill? Good question. I suspect the line of thought implied in this question results from habit — a certain kind of academic habit in which we are used to thinking that the goal of a history (or, more commonly today, "social science") class is coverage. A very quick look at any typical

By Wilson Hill | | In Word on the Hill | Read more